Chapter 181: The Exchange Competition Where All Academies Converge
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 181: The Exchange Competition Where All Academies Converge
After teaching that guy a lesson myself, I returned to my seat.
I considered this a lesson for myself as well; I really couldn't just sleep in public places anymore. Besides, I had underestimated my own popularity within the academy.
Once I calmed down—especially after punching someone—my mood felt much lighter. The side effects of the potions had mostly faded after that afternoon nap. Now, I just had to wait for the afternoon matches to conclude so they could announce the rewards for tomorrow’s Top 10.
As the afternoon matches progressed, the rankings for the Witch Academy’s Freshman Top 100 List were finalized. With the birth of the final three contestants for the Top 10, tomorrow would see the ranking challenge matches for those top spots.
Today’s matches ended even earlier than yesterday’s, even though the afternoon sun was still high in the sky. But it didn't matter; the academy wouldn't let that time go to waste. After all, there was the heavyweight announcement of the Top 10 rewards, followed by the lottery for the exhibition matches—which also offered prizes.
As the Top 10 contestants were decided, those on the field cheered for their success. The most conspicuous among them was Shi Huiyu. Sure enough, without me in the way, she truly had the strength to be in the Top 10.
However, she was soon politely escorted off the stage by the referee, as it was time for the final summary.
At this moment, Lina, acting as the Freshman Department Head, stepped onto the podium. She didn't need a microphone; a simple spell allowed everyone present to hear her clearly. At a time like this, a teacher was needed to mark the end of this phase of the Freshman Competition, and she would be the one to announce the rewards.
"I am very pleased that this year's Witch Academy Freshman Competition has proceeded smoothly to this stage."
"After today, the academy will officially announce the Freshman Top 100 to the entire school to recognize your hard work in the competition."
"Next, the most important rankings—the Freshman Top 10—will be decided tomorrow. To encourage our new students and stir up competitive passion, I will now announce the rewards for tomorrow's Top 10 rankings."
"First, the rewards for sixth through tenth place: a standard reward of one hundred Ley Line Memories, a selection of Ley Line Materials, and 100 Mana Sources. In addition, one High-consumption Spellbook—to be chosen in order by the bottom five—two self-selected Medium-consumption Spellbooks, and five Basic-consumption Spellbooks."
Lina first announced the rewards for the bottom half of the Top 10. These rewards seemed quite good, and the gap between them wasn't large. The only real difference for the bottom five was the order in which they got to pick their spellbooks. Choosing a spellbook that suited oneself or was particularly powerful was an advantage, while the tenth-place finisher naturally had no choice left.
But these were High-consumption Spellbooks—spells that cost a hundred points of mana. Even for someone like Tan Han, excluding her ultimate trump card, a hundred-point spellbook was her most powerful tool.
The students had seen the power of such spellbooks; Tan Han had demonstrated it personally. I had also shown a spellbook of that level, though I hadn't used it in combat. Still, just the aura it projected was intimidating enough. To ensure they could actually use such books, the academy had even thoughtfully provided one hundred Mana Sources.
As for whether they knew the classifications of spellbooks or what Ley Line Memories were, Lina didn't care. If they didn't know, couldn't they just ask someone after the competition ended today?
"Next are the rewards for fourth and fifth place: three hundred and two hundred Ley Line Memories respectively, a selection of Ley Line Materials, two hundred Mana Sources, two High-consumption Spellbooks, five Medium-consumption Spellbooks, and ten Basic-consumption Spellbooks."
With only the top three left unannounced, the rewards for the Top 10 were already enough to make many people green with envy. Rankings below the Top 10 didn't receive anything nearly this generous; they didn't even get High-consumption Spellbooks. The highest-tier spellbooks for those lower ranks only approached that level without reaching it.
These rewards made the freshmen who couldn't even participate in the competition burn with jealousy. But there was nothing they could do; the academy wasn't going to consider their feelings right now.
The Freshman Competition was the first opportunity to acquire resources after the start of the term. As the saying goes, "A horse doesn't get fat without extra fodder." If you couldn't even fight for the position of class monitor, you naturally had no right to show yourself in the Freshman Competition. Forget showing off—you wouldn't even have the chance to embarrass yourself on the field.
As for the classes where the monitor was chosen flippantly, this served as a wake-up call: the Transcendent Witch Academy was not like the schools they had attended before. If they kept fooling around, they deserved to remain ordinary people.
Furthermore, the fact that the Freshman Competition could result in death was something the counselors had been instructed to emphasize. This was a further screening process. If you were afraid of death, why come to a Transcendent Academy?
And it was true that people could die in the competition; the academy wasn't lying, was it?
"Next is the third-place winner, the bronze medalist: five hundred Ley Line Memories, a selection of Ley Line Materials, 300 Mana Sources, one Non-restricted Spellbook, one High-consumption Spellbook, 10 Medium-consumption Spellbooks, 20 Basic-consumption Spellbooks, and one custom Alchemy Item voucher, to be crafted by the academy."
When the third-place rewards were announced, everyone was stunned. Among them was a Non-restricted Spellbook—a single book that was worth more than several High-consumption Spellbooks!
Even my eyes narrowed slightly. A Non-restricted Spellbook was one without a fixed mana cost. These books had no obvious threshold for use and were categorized this way because they couldn't be ranked by consumption. They were far more flexible than other spellbooks, though they did have upper limits. Otherwise, if they were truly unrestricted, wouldn't they just be used as Million Divine Spellbooks?
I placed great importance on this for a reason: spellbooks that improved learning efficiency were usually categorized as Non-restricted Spellbooks.
"Next is the runner-up reward: eight hundred Ley Line Memories, a selection of Ley Line Materials, 500 Mana Sources, two Non-restricted Spellbooks, two High-consumption Spellbooks, 10 Medium-consumption Spellbooks, 20 Basic-consumption Spellbooks, and three custom Alchemy Item vouchers."
Before the contestants and the audience could even finish their exclamations, the champion's reward followed.
"And finally, the reward for the champion of this Freshman Competition: one thousand Ley Line Memories, a selection of Ley Line Materials, 500 Mana Sources, one Over-consumption Spellbook, one High-consumption Spellbook, 10 Medium-consumption Spellbooks, 20 Basic-consumption Spellbooks, and five custom Alchemy Item vouchers."
The moment these rewards were announced, the audience and contestants were simultaneously shocked. Then, the stands erupted into a heated frenzy, mixed with shouts of indignation.
This was just a Freshman Competition!
In previous years, rewards at the level of an Over-consumption Spellbook had never appeared!
Although everyone knew Tan Han already possessed such a book, the sense of unfairness remained. However, many people quickly realized the reason.
This Freshman Competition was different. Immediately following its conclusion would be the Exchange Tournament with other academies!
This was about school glory. Most people could understand the Witch Academy teachers using a few tricks to favor certain students, but it still left them feeling unbalanced, lamenting that they were born in the wrong year.
An Over-consumption Spellbook... the power of such a book... even though Tan Han had messed up the first time she showed it, everyone vividly remembered the blizzard that had swept through the entire open-air arena!
A spell of that level was enough to influence the local celestial phenomena! Looking at the world at large, anyone possessing such a spellbook was a strategic-level combatant capable of threatening an entire world—provided one ignored other transcendent powers, of course.
The Transcendent Academy held such terrifying power. Ordinary people who had never touched the transcendent could hardly imagine that a student could wield such combat strength.
Beyond awe for transcendent power, there was an even greater yearning and fanaticism for it.
As soon as the rewards were announced, the most restless groups were the other transcendent academies that had come for the exchange.
They had come for a "friendly exchange" between freshmen, and now you were essentially giving your freshmen "cheats" right in front of them?
Even though they had gathered intelligence over the past two days and knew Tan Han already had an Over-consumption Spellbook, she hadn't had enough Mana Sources to support it. Now that the Mana Sources were being provided, along with another terrifying spellbook, how were the other freshmen supposed to compete?
Yes, it was true that Afuhemi Academy had previously mocked the Witch Academy for being "trash" in the early stages, relying only on Mana Sources and spellbooks as combat methods. But that didn't mean they weren't afraid!
Earlier, when Erica had led the elves, even they had looked at the spellbooks with envy. It was clear that such items were precious. Spellbooks didn't necessarily have to consume the user's mana; they could be driven by external mana because the spellbooks created by witches had the inherent ability to convert mana.
Naturally, these academies couldn't just sit idly by. They had to act. If Tan Han’s strength was boosted further, how could the students they brought along even play? Would they just be fodder for her?
They had to stop this. Moreover, if they could seize such spellbooks for their own students, it would be an excellent outcome.
Thus, after Lina finished announcing the rewards, many transcendent academies began to coordinate, especially the Three Top Academies.
Today was the fourth day of the Witch Academy's Freshman Competition. Many academies had arrived one after another. Some, like Afuhemi, had made a high-profile entrance; others were the silent type, arriving very discreetly, such as the Wizard Academy. However, the Wizard Academy was still one of the Three Top Academies and had arrived on a flying vessel. Regardless, by this point, no fewer than a dozen transcendent academies had reached the Witch Academy.
Their communication was swift, and their goals were aligned. A plan quickly took shape.
"Please wait a moment!"
A loud shout rang out from the guest boxes in the arena, drawing everyone's gaze.
That box was the first one to be occupied—the elves of Afuhemi Academy. The one speaking up was Erica, one of the leaders of their delegation.
"Oh? Does the teacher from Afuhemi Academy have some objection to the internal teaching arrangements of our Witch Academy?" Lina turned to look, her sharp gaze seemingly capable of slicing through the box itself.
She had expected other academies to have objections to the rewards, as they were indeed too lavish. The first-place prize was clearly prepared for Tan Han. But Lina hadn't expected someone to be the "early bird" at this exact moment. Afuhemi Academy? It wasn't exactly a surprise.
After all, the Witch Academy was now aware of Afuhemi's little schemes; they were the academy with the most Luck Seeds. Naturally, they were the most anxious.
"Respected Miss Lina, on behalf of Afuhemi Academy, I declare that I have no objection to the Witch Academy's arrangements. I am merely offering a small suggestion."
"The gathering of our various transcendent academies at the Witch Academy is a meaningful event in itself. Our purpose in coming here is to conduct an exchange between freshmen, promote relationships between our academies, share experiences, and complement each other's strengths and weaknesses."
"I believe the Witch Academy's Freshman Competition is nearing its end, and the final Top 10 have been chosen. If they simply receive rewards from the Witch Academy alone, it would be far too one-sided. Why don't I, on behalf of Afuhemi Academy, provide equivalent rewards and merge the final Top 10 ranking challenge into the exchange tournament between our various academies?"
Erica's voice was resonant, carrying a hint of persuasion.
"But you only represent Afuhemi, and we need this challenge match to determine the final rankings of our Top 10," Lina said, her expression displeased. However, she didn't argue too much because she knew that once this idea was proposed, many other academies would follow suit. She couldn't stop them all.
Besides, the Dean had anticipated this. If anyone should be worried, it was the Dean. In any case, Lina couldn't accept their suggestion on behalf of the Witch Academy right now.
And... she didn't actually intend to reject the proposal. Other academies had their plans, but didn't the Witch Academy have its own? Their willingness to give out those rewards was the most direct benefit; who would win or lose was yet to be seen.
"I, Andrew Jenny, on behalf of the Wizard Academy, agree to this proposal. The younger generation should indeed exchange ideas more often to promote their own growth. Our Wizard Academy will also provide equivalent resources as the final rewards for the academy exchange."
A voice, aged yet full of vigor, rang out from another box, identifying himself and representing the Wizard Academy's stance.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gunnar McIntosh of the Holy Angel Academy, and one of the lead mentors for this trip. Regarding the suggestion made by the beautiful elven lady just now, our Holy Angel Academy also agrees. We will provide even more precious resources for this academy exchange."
"Hehe, of course, this can be considered a token of our academy's goodwill. After all, I must mention that your student, Tan Han, originally applied to our Holy Angel Academy. Even though she has now become a Prospective Witch, out of care for a genius, we are willing to offer higher-tier treatment. May the Holy Light always shine equally upon every student with outstanding talent."
Following the representatives of the Three Top Academies, many other academy representatives expressed their agreement. In short, they all supported the proposal.
Since the academy exchange was already a settled matter, they might as well drag the Witch Academy into it sooner. Moreover, the rewards the Witch Academy was offering were quite "unscrupulous"; they certainly couldn't let them be handed out now. Otherwise, wouldn't the Witch Academy's freshmen just be "farming noobs" during the exchange?
While they were confident their own students wouldn't be completely crushed, the Witch Academy had Tan Han! This was one of the primary reasons they had gone to such lengths to come here for the exchange!
"Miss Lina, since the opinions of the various academies are so consistent, I trust your school won't make a decision that disappoints everyone?"
Erica looked at Lina with a smile. The Witch Academy was the host, and she was very satisfied with the atmosphere. If the Witch Academy still insisted on doing things their own way, they had plenty of ways to spread rumors about the Witch Academy's cowardice and retreat—rumors that would spread through every transcendent academy and even into the outside world. Though, to be fair, the Witch Academy's reputation in the outside world wasn't great to begin with.
"You are all guests of our Witch Academy and the main participants in the upcoming freshman exchange. We will naturally take your suggestions into consideration. I will communicate this matter with the Dean and the others. I believe we will give you all a satisfactory answer tomorrow."
"Of course, since the various academies have clearly expressed their stances, for the remainder of today, please follow me so we can discuss the various matters regarding the upcoming academy exchange."
"At the same time, I officially announce that today's Freshman Competition is concluded. Due to sudden circumstances and various uncontrollable factors, the subsequent Freshman Competition matches will be postponed. All details will be subject to the official notice released by the academy. Thank you all for attending and watching."
With Lina's words, the Freshman Competition—which had turned into something of a farce—officially ended. The Top 10 ranking matches were postponed, but everyone understood: they were gone. They wouldn't happen as originally planned.
Yet, no one felt regret. What awaited them next, presented to everyone, would be something far more tense and exciting than the Freshman Competition: an Exchange Competition involving dozens of transcendent academies!
The collision between different academies, different races, and different powers! This was far more interesting than freshmen pecking at each other!
Every academy had brought their elites. Who wouldn't look forward to such a competition?
And of course, there were many cute girls, beast-eared girls, and handsome boys, adding a touch of variety to the Witch Academy—a place where the feminine flourished and the masculine was non-existent!