Chapter 756: The Most Distinguished Guest of the Omni-Link Arena
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 756: The Most Distinguished Guest of the Omni-Link Arena
"Yeah, because of the reconstruction of that massive arena this break, Tan Han was challenged to a duel. It’s scheduled for the first day of the new semester, and it looks like her opponent is a Teaching Assistant again."
"That much trouble? Does she absolutely have to accept these challenges?" I asked, a bit puzzled. If it were me, and someone tried to challenge me during the holidays or whenever... I wouldn't give them the time of day.
"In a witch academy, if you're challenged in public and don't accept, people will talk. Besides, Tan Han’s credit, prestige, and reputation are all very important to her. How could she possibly refuse?"
"But Tan Han is facing a Teaching Assistant, right? A Teaching Assistant... that’s just a senior bullying a junior. Even if she refused, no one would blame her, right?" I continued to probe.
"She has no choice," Ying Shiqian sighed, reminiscing about the past. "In the beginning, Tan Han’s enemies were just class monitors from other classes in her year. But as she showed more and more power, her opponents grew thicker-skinned and increasingly stronger."
"And the Teaching Assistants? Even if it's a gradual progression, there has to be a reason for a Teaching Assistant to step into the ring, right?" I followed up, trailing Ying Shiqian’s train of thought.
"The Teaching Assistants... Tan Han actually challenged the first one herself." Ying Shiqian looked helpless at the memory, resting her left hand wearily against her forehead. "It was an open scheme. That Teaching Assistant was abusing her authority to harass Tan Han’s friends for no reason. If Tan Han didn't strike back, all her friends would have been targeted and discriminated against. Xiao Han, you’re a Teaching Assistant too; you should know exactly how much power a TA wields, right?"
"They played that card?"
Hearing Senior Sister Ying Shiqian explain it, I understood. I had wondered how they were targeting Tan Han, but if a Teaching Assistant personally intervened and went after her friends, that was the most cold-blooded way to do it.
Being targeted and isolated in a witch academy is a terrifying thing. While it wouldn't make much difference to me, for anyone else... it would feel like the sky was falling.
Even for me, my so-called indifference was merely a result of having grown used to it.
Furthermore, Tan Han had far more friends than I did; she was someone who excelled at socializing.
However... Senior Sister Ying Shiqian was wrong about one thing. Although I was already a Teaching Assistant, I really didn't have a clear idea of the power I possessed.
Mainly, I hadn't actually taught many classes with Sister Bai, nor had I found the time to slowly test the academy's bottom line. But I assumed a Teaching Assistant could do far more than one might imagine.
If they collaborated with others, the possibilities were even greater.
"Um... I didn't say all that just to complain. If you don't want to get involved in this, Xiao Han..."
"It’s fine," I said, smiling as I waved it off.
I was the one who brought up the topic, and Senior Sister Ying Shiqian was just answering my questions. Even if there was a tiny part of her that hoped I might help, I didn't mind.
"Actually, why don't we go to the arena and watch Tan Han’s match? Is her challenge today?" I suddenly suggested.
"Eh? Yes, the duel was set for these first few days of the semester. There’s one today. Otherwise, I wouldn't be the only one left here at the club booth..."
"Then why don't you take me there to see it, Senior Sister?"
"Me? Uh... maybe I shouldn't? I still have to watch the booth..."
"Senior Sister, don't take this the wrong way, but is staying here actually going to get any new students to join? No. Rather than standing guard here for no reason, you might as well accompany me to watch Tan Han’s match," I said with a smile. This club recruitment stall was nothing more than useless formalism.
No one was strictly required to be here; this was just a recruitment ground formed spontaneously by the clubs, passed down as a tradition.
"Eh? But... if the Shopkeeper finds out..."
"Then just say that in order to bring me along, you had no choice but to painfully abandon the recruitment booth to accompany me," I said, laughing. "Don't forget, Tan Han’s opponent is a Teaching Assistant. If the other side plays dirty and Tan Han doesn't have someone of equal status on her side, things could get difficult."
"That... that makes sense... Oh, whatever! If the Shopkeeper wants to dock my pay, so be it!" Ying Shiqian stood up abruptly and slammed her palm onto the table. Slap! The sound startled the person from the neighboring club who was napping.
The surrounding "filler" clubs soon noticed that the person in charge of the "Baking House" booth had simply vanished.
The booth remained, but the person was gone.
"Let’s go, let’s go, Xiao Han. I’ll lead the way." Ying Shiqian pulled out her broom and gave it a shake like it was an old partner. Dust and debris fell from the slightly frayed tail of the flying broom, giving it a worn, "veteran of a thousand battles" look.
"Your flying broom has a real battle-worn aesthetic, Senior Sister," I joked, pulling out my own broom as well.
Come to think of it, I hadn't used a broom in a while. During the break, I was either teleporting or just wandering around on foot; I’d almost forgotten I was a little witch who rode a broom.
"Oh, it’s fine. I’ve studied flying brooms extensively. As long as the alchemy core and magic circuits aren't broken, it still works. When I bought this thing, they advertised a two-in-one flying and sweeping function. It’s very durable!"
"Is that so?" I fiddled with my own broom and followed after her.
I had to admit, even though Ying Shiqian’s broom looked battle-scarred, its flight speed was surprisingly fast.
"Which arena are we going to?"
Flying through the sky, I maintained a certain distance from Ying Shiqian while asking.
The wind speed at this altitude was significant. The whistling wind brushed past my protection spells, making even voices sound a bit muffled.
"Where else could it be... it has to be the academy's largest open-air arena!" Ying Shiqian pointed ahead.
In the distance, I saw a giant tree towering high into the sky.
Its branches stretched out, sheltering the entire open-air arena.
The place had been completely redesigned and renovated.
The entire open-air arena seemed to exist for the sake of this massive Omni-Link Main Network Tree. The Ley Line live-streaming equipment that used to hang in the sky had all been replaced by massive light projections generated by the Omni-Link Main Network Tree’s root network.
The surrounding buildings and roads were different now too, all having made way for the expansion of this colossal arena.
Completing such a massive engineering and renovation project within a single holiday break was truly a miracle.
It was clear that this entire district around the open-air arena was now dominated by the arena's events.
From a distance, one could see exaggerated and impactful visuals floating around and above the arena in the form of light screen projections, like giant advertisements.
The constantly shifting match schedules stirred up everyone's most primal passions.
"Oh? I didn't expect the changes to this arena to be so drastic," I remarked, somewhat surprised.
Even though the techniques used to build this Omni-Link Main Network Tree originated from my Great Spellbook’s derived techniques, and the power network architecture used my Domain Order, seeing the scene with my own eyes still made me marvel.
"Yeah, it really is huge. I was shocked the first time I came here after it was finished. But it seems they’ve renamed it the Omni-Link Arena now. It probably has something to do with that Omni-Link Main Network Tree."
"You know quite a bit, Senior Sister. You even know it's called the Omni-Link Main Network Tree?"
"Of course! I’m very well-informed! I love surfing the Academy Network whenever I’m free. And I heard... this tree seems to have some connection to you, Xiao Han. Is that true?" Ying Shiqian suddenly turned gossipy.
"You could say that. The connection is indeed quite significant. Do you want to know the details?"
"Is it inside info? Never mind, I’m not in a hurry anyway. Let’s get to the Omni-Link Arena first." A flash of curiosity clearly crossed Ying Shiqian’s face, but she didn't press me further, instead leading me straight down.
"You don't come here often, do you, Xiao Han? Don't worry. Even though I haven't been here many times since the reconstruction, I’m familiar with the process." Seeing my curious expression as I looked around, Ying Shiqian took the initiative to act as a guide.
The arena was divided into many areas, such as the spectator zones and the challenger reception desk.
It wasn't just the large main exhibition areas of the open-air arena used for combat; there were also many enclosed underground competitive zones.
These were generally used for private matches without an audience, as not everyone was comfortable with people watching them fight.
Of course, these areas could also be live-streamed. If they weren't, it was just a simple private challenge.
These private challenges, which lacked any hype or profit motive, were very expensive. After all, without an audience, they couldn't set up betting pools, and the arena needed to make money for maintenance.
In a place where combat was so intense, expenses were high. Who knew how many things would be broken in a single match? The ground, the railings, the energy consumption of the solidified protection spells... even with professionals maintaining the magical grounds, the part-time staff still needed to be paid, didn't they?
"Phew! Good, good. Xiao Tan’s match hasn't started yet. We’re early. Luckily, these are tickets for the open-air main battle area; it’s rarely full, so I managed to snag seats near the front row!"
Ying Shiqian came running back to me with two spectator tickets.
Meanwhile, I was looking at the schedule for the main battle area.
It clearly marked the main battle areas within the open-air grounds, which were the areas with the most spectators. The duels on these grounds were the most high-profile matches.
I saw Tan Han’s name on the list.
The arena had even designed a special character illustration for Tan Han, a full-body one. Even the "half-body" and "avatar" shots were cropped from this single master illustration.
In Tan Han’s right hand was a long staff, and at its head was a crown-like "ornament" bound by sealing arts. That was the [Transcendent Knowledge] fragment known as Absolute Zero.
I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, but in this illustration, the staff was a bit too eye-catching, as if it were silently declaring that it was the true subject of the entire image.
Perhaps... it wasn't a coincidence?
"Tan Han’s codename... is Staff of Absolute Cold? Using her own weapon as her codename and title, that in itself..." I trailed off. Having a weapon more famous than the person wasn't exactly something to brag about.
As a veteran of the academy, Ying Shiqian naturally caught my drift. "She has no choice. Xiao Tan should have her own pride, but she encountered an enemy she shouldn't have met at an inappropriate stage of her growth. She can only find ways to use every tool at her disposal."
"I understand her situation. Anyway, thanks." I took the ticket Ying Shiqian handed me. "By the way, do we just have to wait in the spectator area for Tan Han to come out?"
"There’s no other way. They won't let us into the contestants' waiting area. If anyone could just walk in, the contestants would be annoyed to death before they even stepped onto the field," Ying Shiqian said helplessly.
"I see. I understand." I nodded.
"How about I just contact the Shopkeeper? If she knows we’re here, she should let us through... probably..." Ying Shiqian suggested.
"Forget it, let’s just stay here for now." I shook my head, declining the suggestion.
However, when I took my ticket and prepared to pass through the ticket gate to enter the spectator stands, I was stopped.
"You... excuse me, are you Teaching Assistant Yang Yuehan?" The girl in charge of ticket inspection asked tentatively after repeatedly comparing my appearance to something.
"Yes, is there a problem?" I asked, looking at her.
If I remembered correctly, the operation of the arena was led by an organization similar to a united club within the academy.
It was just more official, often coordinating with the academy for various activities, such as combat competitions and power ranking data, all of which could be found on the official Academy Network website.
"It’s... it’s like this. You have been listed as the most distinguished guest of our Omni-Link Arena. There will be specialized staff to receive you..."
"I just want to go in and watch a match. There’s no need to make it so complicated, is there?" I asked.
After realizing they weren't looking for trouble, I breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, I would have felt that the arena might need more than just a physical renovation.
"This... I’m sorry... If you insist, I naturally have no right to stop you. But if you are willing to spare a moment, the arena can provide you with much higher quality service..."
"Whoa, Xiao Han, is your status that useful? You even get special service? I’ve never seen anyone get this kind of treatment."
"I didn't expect the arena to pull something like this either." I shrugged, genuinely unsure.
But then I remembered some things Millian had delivered to me, saying they were gifts from various clubs and groups in the academy. Millian had advised me to accept them, saying it would make things much easier for me within the academy.
At the time, I had simply tossed the whole pile into my storage equipment.
So, under Ying Shiqian’s watchful gaze, I rummaged through a mountain of items, finally finding something with the "Omni-Link Arena" logo on it.
I tore open the thick, unsealed envelope and pulled out several items: a Omni-Link Arena membership card, crafted from pure Orichalcum. It felt quite heavy in my hand.
"Um... I think they mean this." I toyed with the Orichalcum card. I hadn't expected the arena to go with such a tacky color scheme.
"Wait... Xiao Han... you, these things... Heavens, that’s a Special Grade Commission from the Jack-of-all-trades Club... a Restricted Witch Secret Realm qualification... No, Xiao Han, do you just keep these things like they're trash?" Senior Sister Ying Shiqian was practically on the floor, staring at the pile of sealed bags and invitation letters I had pulled out.
The two on top were just the most representative; as for the ones underneath... Ying Shiqian felt that Xiao Han hadn't even given them a second glance.