He released his grip, and Chloe stumbled, then fell to the ground, her gaze unwavering as it remained fixed on his own.
"I admire your fighting courage, Chloe." Christopher acknowledged, his voice a low, steady murmur as he gracefully squatted down, bringing himself to her eye level. His piercing gaze t hers:
"But you should always know when to back down. When you encounter a stronger enemy, don’t ever fight to the death. Always think of a way to escape! If you are in a team, make sure everyone escapes. If so refuse, let them be. Just make sure you are alive."
He straightened up, his commanding presence filling the space as his gaze swept across every face in the training arena.
"This goes for every one of you. Life cos once, and you must make sure to hold on to it."
A ripple of thoughtful silence spread through the students. They exchanged uncertain glances amongst themselves, then, one by one, began to slowly nod their heads, a quiet understanding dawning in their eyes as Christopher’s pragmatic lesson settled into their minds.
"Now, Miss Chloe."
He turned his head back to Chloe, a hand extended towards her. "Did I pass your test?"
Chloe’s hand t his, her fingers wrapping around his strong grip, and with his assistance, she pushed herself up from the ground, her movents still a little shaky from their intense skirmish.
She slowly nodded her head, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"I have one request," she said, her voice gaining a sudden, sharper edge, and she quickly added:
"Make sure you heavily injure their beasts."
Christopher grinned, a shadow crossing his features. "You don’t have to tell that," he stated, his tone unwavering.
"Because I will."
"Okay. Okay..."
A collective shift in the arena drew everyone’s attention towards the entrance. All heads turned as Monica strode purposefully towards Christopher and Chloe, her presence instantly commanding the space.
".......?!"
".......!!"
"When did the principal reach the ground?"
"I don’t know... Do you think she witnessed everything?"
"That battle took only two minutes, so it’s not possible."
"What if she has been here all along?"
Murmurs, low and speculative, spread like wildfire across the arena, as the students whispered among themselves, their eyes darting between Monica and the two combatants.
"Enough!" Monica’s voice cut through the growing chatter like a sharp blade, instantly silencing the entire place. The sudden quiet was so profound that a pin drop would have echoed.
She halted before Christopher and Chloe, her gaze assessing them both, and gave a small, approving nod:
"Have your seat."
The two nodded in acknowledgent, their expressions composed, and walked towards their designated seats beside Advika, Leyla, and Katherine, who watched them with a mixture of relief and admiration.
"Now listen up!"
Monica’s voice bood, turning to address the hundred students assembled before her. "Most of you have already surmised the difficulty inherent in this Academy competition! Right?"
A hundred heads nodded in unison, a collective understanding rippling through the assembled students, while Monica continued, her voice firm.
"Good. So, today’s training won’t be like the ordinary training you’re accustod to. Now, all of you! Get up and line up before !"
Though a ripple of confusion passed through the students, they swiftly obeyed. The hundred individuals rose to their feet and converged towards the center of the arena, forming two disciplined lines, boys and girls separated. Their gazes were fixed intently on Monica, awaiting her next command.
"Today’s battle between Christopher and Chloe gave an idea," Monica began, folding her arms across her chest, her gaze sweeping over the faces of both the veteran students and the wide-eyed freshn.
"Although you guys have powerful beasts, most of you lack true combat ability! So, this training will be about that."
Her gaze shifted, first to Christopher, then to Advika, Mariana, and finally Mitchell.
"All of you will participate in this. Especially Christopher, Advika, Mariana, and Mitchell. You four will represent us in the academy competition, and one round will specifically deal with combat strength, without any beast intervention." she added, her eyes lingering on the four.
The designated four nodded their heads in understanding, the weight of their upcoming responsibility settling upon them.
Monica nodded and continued, her voice gaining a more excited edge:
"There will be a ranking score, with incredible rewards. Those in the top ten will be given Breakthrough Pills, depending on their levels. This ans, the students ranked from 10th to 2nd place will each receive pills according to their ranks... For example, the tenth place holder will receive one pill, while the top two will receive Nine pills." She smiled and added:
"The top one, the overall winner, will be given ten of these potent pills! These pills will help you advance to the next level of cultivation, a significant leap in your power!"
A gasp of excitent swept through the students. Breakthrough Pills were incredibly rare and sought after by many.
"Those from below the top ten, stopping at top 30, will be given mid-stage Health Potions. Specifically, ranks 11 to 20 will follow the sa sequence as the top 10, aning the 11th rank gets ten, and so on, down to the 20th who gets one. While ranks 21 to 30 will only be given one each. These potions can be life-saving in critical situations!" Monica paused, letting the significance sink in.
"And for the rest... anyone in top 31 to 100 will gain one low-stage Beast Food, one each. I made this so everyone will benefit. You are all a total of one hundred, so everyone will gain sothing valuable. However, that does not an you are allowed to carry top 100!"
She placed her arms on her hips, her expression becoming dead serious, leaving no room for misunderstanding. "Do you all understand?!"
The students’ eyes glowed with an almost greedy light at the ntion of the top ten rewards. Even the mid-stage Health Potions for the top 30 could literally save soone’s life in a critical situation. Who wouldn’t be happy with such prospects? And the low-stage Beast Food, while seemingly less impressive, was a type of sustenance that increntally increased a beast’s combat strength. Though a low-stage item, it would undoubtedly be valuable to any beast below the Elite stage, making it a universal boon.
"YES!"
They answered in a booming chorus, wide smiles plastered across their faces.
"Now!"
Monica brought out a sleek, rectangular device, strikingly similar in shape and size to a modern android phone. She pointed it over her shoulder, its single, prominent button glinting, and pressed it.
WHOOSH!!!
A colossal gateway shimred into existence behind her, its swirling vortex of light softly spinning. The students watched, srized by the spectacle.
"As you can see," Monica announced, her voice carrying clearly over the faint hum of the gateway.
"This is the sa gateway I used in the registration test. But the things inside are different." She let out a slow, sinister smirk, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"All of you will leave your Beast Artifacts outside, or summon a beast and hand your artifact to them to keep watch! That way, no one will be able to call forth their beasts once inside this ground. Even if by chance you have a way, I will know." She explained, her gaze sharpening.
"There are opponents you all will face in this map, who are created to make your lives miserable."
She chuckled, a sound that, despite its playful undertone, sent shivers down the spines of many students.
"There are five distinct buildings in this map. Four are known as Castle Numbers One to Four. You will see them clearly on the map that will be provided to you when you enter. The fifth building is known as the Imperial Castle, where the main boss of this map resides. By successfully taking over a castle, you will gain an increase in your Attack, Defense, and Stamina. The more buildings you take over, the stronger you beco." She paused, allowing her words to sink in, the tactical implications registering in the students’ minds, before continuing:
"Each building has a total of 200 soldiers and one General guarding it. You will defeat these forces before you can claim the building. I know so of you like money, so it has also been included. Five thousand dollars for any building you take over, and it will be separated equally among your group and instantly sent to your bank account."
’Now I know why Vitality Academy is the biggest, with so many students. This is a paradise for youngsters, a school where you can make so much money. Who wouldn’t attend?’ Christopher thought, his eyes gleaming at the prospect. He then voiced a question that had been on many minds.
"What about our opponents?"
The excited chatter among the students ceased imdiately. They turned their attention back to Monica, their faces now serious, a collective anticipation hanging in the air.
"You have five types of enemies here," Monica stated.
"One: Ogres. Two: Goblins. Three: Skeletons, aning the Undead. Four: Werewolves. And five: Yourselves."
"........?"
A stunned silence fell over the students. Their previous excitent vanished, replaced by a collective look of bewildernt.
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