After a short walk, they encountered students from other sections.
"Yo! Vilon, Beatrix," Zeeha greeted the other students. "Kyren, Hiro, these are my friends I was talking about. This is the 11th GA, Vilon, and the 12th GA, Beatrix."
Vilon was described as a good-looking young man wearing glasses with long blonde hair and blue eyes, emitting an aura that could charm anyone. Beatrix appeared more understated but carried an air of wealth and decency.
"Oh, Kyren and Hiro, are these the two you were talking about?" Vilon smiled.
"Yeah, and as expected, I've chosen them to be exempted," Zeeha confirmed.
"I see," Vilon's hair flowed smoothly with the wind.
"Anyway, we haven't had breakfast yet. Would you mind joining us?" Beatrix offered.
Kyren and Hiro realized they hadn't eaten yet either.
"Let's go. We haven't eaten yet either," Zeeha invited the two.
...
They went to the cafeteria. Kyren and Hiro had bad memories of this place, but today was different—they were treated fairly because of the other GAs.
"Kyren, this is our first time eating decent food in a month," Hiro whispered to Kyren.
Kyren just smiled, realizing it too.
Their conversation was interrupted when a student walked up to them and said, "Why are these two Section 16 students here? I thought you guys have an elimination exam?"
Looking up, they saw the speaker was one of Rayn's future guild members.
"Hey, staff, why are these two here? I thought this was exclusively for higher sections and GAs?" another student added.
"Enough, guys," Rayn said.
"They are exempted from the elimination round, and just like you, I have the right to invite anyone from my section to join me in the eatery," Zeeha said.
The other students felt a bit embarrassed after Zeeha made her point.
Their conversation was further interrupted when one of the GAs entered the cafeteria, his aura intimidating everyone without a word.
"Zeeha, Beatrix, that's Aolomon, the one I was talking about," Vilon warned them.
Kyren thought Aolomon looked like a dangerous man, possibly on the same or higher level than Rayn.
"Hiro, let's not mess around here and finish our meal," Kyren whispered.
"Yeah, I have an uneasy feeling about this place," Hiro replied, even he was intimidated by Aolomon's presence.
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"Man! Meal 3 is already empty. Hey, staff, refill this up," Aolomon said as he walked through Kyren's group and Rayn's group.
"I'm sorry, Mr. 10th, no more Meal Number 3 for today," the staff replied.
Everyone in the room fell silent, including Rayn.
Aolomon, disappointed, saw the last serving of the meal he wanted on Hiro's plate. He looked at Hiro with a killer stare, and Kyren was about to step in front of Hiro.
...
But in a couple of seconds, Aolomon broke the silence. "Man, it's so unfortunate. I thought GAs were the number one priority here." Aolomon picked randomly from the buffet, letting it slide this time.
...
After finishing their meal, they were advised to go to the outdoor event hall to watch the elimination round alongside the Vice President.
"Welcome, everyone. I hope you are prepared for our Elimination Exam. For the first round, we will proceed with the battle between Section 15 and Section 16. Everyone in these sections, please go to the arena, and we will proceed," the announcer said.
"This is hard to watch, Kyren. I feel like a disaster will happen, but I don't pity those who did bad things to Zeeha. I only feel sympathy for the other students who might have good intentions but are in an unfortunate situation," Hiro said while sitting alongside Zeeha, other GAs, and exempted students. Meanwhile, the GA of Section 15 was coaching her students on the side of the arena, making notes for the commander-in-chief who would participate in the elimination round. Her concern for her section was evident, a stark contrast to Section 16.
"Well, well, well, looks like one of the GAs is so selfish and totally abandoned her soldiers in the war" the 14th GA remarked.
Hiro, knowing how much Zeeha had been through, was pissed off.
"Don't mind it, Hiro," Zeeha calmed him.
...
"Okay, let's start the elimination exam. Section 15, are you ready?" the announcer asked.
"WE ARE READY!" they shouted, their preparedness sounding like a war cry.
"And how about Section 16? Are you ready?"
Some of the students said they were ready, but their confidence was not evident.
"The battle begins!"
Section 15 wasted no time. Five students placed their shields in front of Section 16, while ten students behind the defenders started to cast their roots. Four students spread out to every corner of the arena with their bows and arrows, assisting the front lines.
After a minute of casting spells, they initiated attacks on Section 16, dividing the students into different corners. While Section 16 evaded in different directions, the front line started to attack the isolated students in each corner. Section 16 had no chance of fighting back; it felt like they were running for their lives. One by one, the students from Section 16 were knocked out of the arena.
Section 15 didn't want anyone to be eliminated from their section. Their synergy was solid, and they had each other's backs.
After a quick moment, 15 students from Section 16 were knocked out, leaving only 5 left needed to be eliminated.
One of the commanders in the battle shouted, "Okay! Plan A completed. Let's go for the next plan."
All the students of Section 15 gathered and formed a solid formation, watching every angle. They didn't give Section 16 any room to breathe. The sorcerers started to cast spells again, creating huge stone walls around three corners of the arena, leaving only one way to be knocked out.
"Hiro, this is bad!" Kyren quickly understood what they were planning.
"WHAT? Why?" Hiro asked, alarmed.
"They're planning to eliminate all of them at once!" Kyren revealed, even catching Zeeha by surprise.
"Is that... is that legal?" Hiro asked.
"I don't know, but if they get knocked out at the same time... I don't know how they'll decide who passes," Kyren explained.
"Ohhh, looks like we have a smart brain here," the 14th GA, who had been listening to their conversation, interjected.
Meanwhile, Zeeha watched with sweat on her forehead.
"See, if you didn't choose me, I would have blasted every one of them," Calir said, pointing his finger at Zeeha, clearly blaming her for the situation.
The remaining students of Section 16 had no choice but to stick together as the area got tighter. They had two choices: fight the defenders marching towards them or accept their fate and be pushed out of the arena.
"This is brutal. If they all get eliminated, there will only be five students left in our section," Hiro said, his voice filled with concern.
"Yup and soon, all of you will be eliminated too." The 14th GA said.