Emil looked around, a hint of anxiety apparent in his eyes.
The scene before him was nerve-wracking.
Seats were lined up next to the teleportation matrix, stationing hundreds of people, both students and residents of the academy, who were here to spectate the competition.
About a dozen large, blue, half transparent screens were lined up in different angles in the middle of the field for all spectators to see.
On a high podium sat five teachers, acting as judges, with Mr Pewterschmidt taking the role of the announcer.
Perhaps what truly deterred Emil wasn't being watched by the whole academy, or the judges for that matter.
It was the number of participants.
Over a hundred of them, male and female, each with cultivation and strength far surpassing his.
And not only that but.
But he was here.
The bastard himself, in the flesh, standing in the front row like a proud peacock, Ricard.
The same person who'd bullied and harassed him for years under the name of the Burton Mansion's young master, the brightest talent of his generation.
The oh so great elemental saint with Water and Air element.
He was polite and always smiled when dealing with other people, example of a young man with integrity.
But Emil knew exactly what kind of disgusting nature hid behind that charming face of his.
His presence alone flared flames of anger in Emil's heart, and perhaps, a hint of fear, too.
"1 2 3..."
"1 2 3...
What am I doing we don't have a microphone.
Hello ladies and gentlemen, i am your host for this competition, Pewterschmidt, yes that's my name, don't laugh I'm proud of the name my parents gave me."
Mr Pewterschmidt's energetic voice billowed throughout the entire square.
He looked much more enthusiastic than at the special admissions, and even started the event with a small goof, regarding his strange name.
"To the right, we have the honored judges, teachers of the academy.
From left to right, Mr Nuemann, Miss Grimald, Miss Olbrecht, Sir Osric and Mr Nesta."
The audience's attention focused on the three men and two women.
"And to the middle, we have our participants, students of the Royal Academy, the brightest talents of our generation and the future of our kingdom.
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A round of applause for them please!"
*Clap*Clap*
The audience started clapping and cheering at Pewterschmidt's instructions.
Once the cheers died, Pewterschmidt started speaking again.
"Now let's have a look at the content of the competition.
Everyone will be teleported to the competition venue, which is a mountain range with six stages.
The participants must pass all the stages and reach the mountain top.
The first ten people who do so will be rewarded according to their rank with the winner receiving a prized Bone Tempering Elixir!"
The screens above Pewterschmidt's head lit up, displaying the six stages.
"The first stage, a haunted forest fraught with Magical trees that'll be attacking and impeding the participants' way.
What better way to start the competition than a battle?"
A small area dense with trees was shown on the screen.
"But don't be fooled, the first stage is just a warmup for the second stage."
An open grass field appeared on the screen.
"With nowhere to hide or run, each participant will be fighting a golem of their counter element.
The second stage will be testing your resourcefulness at the face of a great adversary."
The screens flashed again and a river was shown this time.
"The mountain is surrounded by a river, what do you do? Swim across. But here's one catch, the water's filled with Golden Carps, making it past them is gonna be easier said than done!"
The screens panned in on the insides of the water, revealing casts of large yellow carps.
"But don't worry, there's a twist to it.
The Carps are slow, much slower than normal in fact, as long as you're fast enough, you can make it across the river safely!
This stage is a test of your speed and creativity."
The next images shown were of the mountain foot.
"You've finally made it to the foot of the mountain, climbing it won't be too difficult now, right?
No."
The audience looked at the display again.
A landslide was taking place within the mountain foot, with rocks and boulders falling off every few seconds or so.
"Whether if you're gonna blast your way through, or fly all the way up, it depends on you.
This stage is a test of your endurance under extreme circumstances, I'm sure everyone can make it so long as you persevere!"
Again the screen flashed, revealing the mid section of the the mountain.
Strong, visible wind was traveling throughout the entire mid section.
"Gusts of wind strong enough to blow you away in a matter of seconds.
This stage is a test of your tenacity.
If you can make it then congratulations, you've officially become a finalist."
The top of the mountain was revealed at Pewterschmidt's words, showing a staircase leading to the mountain top.
"Every step you take, gravity becomes stronger.
But there's a catch, every spell you cast can share the burden of gravity with you.
The final stage is a test of Physical power for the Knights, and Magic power for the Mages."
A heated discussion started when Pewterschmidt's speech finished.
Both participants and spectators were conversing among themselves.
Emil's face in particular was dark.
He knew it was gonna be difficult, but this was too much.
He didn't have the magic power of a Mage, nor the physical strength of a Knight.
worse, he barely had any cultivation.
"A few simple rules.
Students may team up or attack each other at any point of the competition.
Pills and Potions aren't allowed, only weapons and armors are.
Everyone will have a health bar attached to them which decreases everytime they take damage.
When enough damage is accumated and your health reaches zero, you will be teleported back to the Academy and hence forth disqualified.
No one will get physically hurt for the students' safety, but you will feel pain.
With all that being said, let the competition begin."
The crowd burst into cheers again as the teleportation matrix lit up with a blue hue.
Emil stroke the ring on his finger and calmed his uneven breathing.
It wasn't time to worry. He had a competition to win.
Whatever challenge he was gonna face, he was determined to work his way around it, just like he had until now.
With a loud hum, the teleportation matrix activated and within a few seconds, all the participants were teleported to the event venue.
Emil opened his eyes, he didn't feel dizzy like last time.
The scenery behind him was just as depicted on the screens.
A dense forest was the first thing he saw, followed by the towering mountain about a dozen kilometers behind it.
*Boom!*
The sound of an explosion awakened him from his stupor.
Looking around, he could see over a hundred students all rushing towards the forest.
The race had begun!