Chapter 759: Tan Han’s Unrestricted Match
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 759: Tan Han’s Unrestricted Match
Arena Spectator Area.
"Really! The person who appeared on that viewing platform just now was definitely Yang Yuehan! I didn't misidentify her! It had to be her!"
"And then? Where did she go?"
"I asked the arena staff. She went to the contestant preparation area to meet with Tan Han."
"Tch..."
Following that click of the tongue, the conversation fell into a heavy silence.
It was as if the development of events had exceeded their expectations at this very moment.
They were current students of the Witch Academy, but they were also members of the Families—those who wielded secular power and controlled the economic lifelines outside the Transcendent Academy.
Although the Families outside the Transcendent Academy consisted of ordinary people who could not master transcendent power, once a machine like a "Family" began to turn, it was said to be an entity capable of interfering even with the Transcendent Academy itself.
While there was an element of exaggeration in that claim, it was enough to illustrate their influence.
Even though they knew perfectly well that the Transcendent Academy could crush them as easily as ants, the long-term operations of the Families had long ago mapped out the Academy’s attitude toward the outside world and its limits of tolerance.
At the very least, until the existing teaching model of the Transcendent Academy changed, the Academy would not engage in the indiscriminate erasure of the Families.
This was because once an entity like the Families was wiped from the world, society itself would grind to a halt. This was the Families' most powerless, yet most potent, form of resistance.
Such an action would destroy the order under which the Transcendent Academy operated and disrupt the annual recruitment of new students.
If the Transcendent Academy ever took such a step, the pressure it would face would be immense. Reconstructing social order, restructuring the Academy’s teaching model, and arranging for the current students were not tasks that could be completed overnight.
Furthermore, the Witch Academy was currently the only one in the world attempting a reconstruction of the Transcendent Academy model.
The major moves made by the Witch Academy during the break were known to many; the new power network model and the architecture of the Root Network were already beginning to take shape.
However, if the Witch Academy wanted to move against the Families, it would face a severe problem: the source of students for the next year and many years to follow. Moreover, purging the Families would lead to the collapse of social order in the entire region radiated by the Witch Academy’s influence...
One must understand that the primary source of students for each Transcendent Academy mostly came from the region—or continent—influenced by that specific Academy. This model had replaced the concept of nations. Therefore, the series of chain reactions triggered by a halt in social order would cause headaches even for a Transcendent Academy.
Even if these maneuvers by the Families were considered negligible from a transcendent perspective... other Transcendent Academies at the same power level would certainly not pass up such a golden opportunity to target the Witch Academy.
But that was the worst-case scenario.
It was a situation that no intelligent person with half a brain would ever allow to manifest.
The reason the Families were so emboldened was, naturally, because they had received "backing" from other Transcendent Academies in the shadows.
After all, it was the Witch Academy that wanted to innovate; it was the Witch Academy that wanted to change the social structure; it was the Witch Academy that wanted to repair the Main World; and it was the Witch Academy that wanted to reshape the landscape of the Main World.
Back at the very beginning, when the Witches mastered the World Repair Technique and captured that Game World... the Witches had "arrogantly" begun to divide the future cake of the Main World. The Dean of the Witch Academy had personally visited various Transcendent Academies to conduct forceful "communication."
If everything had developed according to the Witches' expectations, then everyone would naturally be happy.
But... was that even possible?
Everyone had their own calculations. Just as the current accidents in the Game World were occurring, were they not simply the other Transcendent Academies testing the Witches' bottom line within the boundaries permitted by their contracts?
They acknowledged that a transcendent race like the Witches was indeed powerful, but this was the Main World. No one could truly represent the collective will of the entire transcendent race behind them.
Until... the Witch Academy produced a genius who transcended the level of the World Script.
A genius within the scope of the world, no matter how brilliant, would at most add one more super-powered individual to the ranks. This was merely a full utilization of the Main World's human resources; at most, other parties would look on with envy.
But when the Witch Academy produced a genius that no one could understand, such a genius possessed the potential to become a Truth Witch.
Even if the probability was extremely low, the possibility could not be ignored.
And if a "Truth Witch" were born in the Main World, it would mean that within the Main World, there was an extension of the Witch race's will!
In other words, the Witch faction in the Main World would have birthed an individual capable of representing the race's will, shattering the original "balance"!
Therefore, the other transcendent races would never allow such a situation to occur.
Not only because the threat of such an existence was terrifying, but also because it meant that if these transcendent races still wanted a piece of the pie in the Main World... they would need a powerhouse of an equivalent level to back them up.
But such powerhouses did not appear out of thin air. They could only seek help from the races behind them, requesting the dispatch of a fellow powerhouse who could speak on equal terms with a "Truth Witch" of the Witch race to maintain their former status.
But... was that possible?
Impossible!
The Witch race had gained a "Truth Witch" out of nowhere, but they had not!
Among the transcendent races, every existence at that level was part of the race's foundation, perhaps guarding another location far more important than the Main World...
Such beings could not move casually; or rather, their every action carried too many variables.
Thus, the transcendent races in the Main World likely had no means of responding. They could only tuck their tails and slink away from the Main World under the weight of absolute "Truth."
So, while the Main World appeared calm, a silent confrontation had already begun.
And this confrontation was an extremely unequal one.
The Witch Academy faction... against all the remaining Transcendent Academies in the Main World!
Even if the Witch race represented by the Witch Academy did not fear such a confrontation, this was the Main World, where the base of every transcendent race was essentially just a single Transcendent Academy.
Therefore, the initial signing of the Witch Contract regarding the principle of non-interference by transcendents—which seemed like a disadvantageous contract signed out of the Witches' arrogance at the time, and which was subsequently exploited by other academies—had, on another level, secured a great convenience for the Witch Academy.
That was... at least as long as they were in the Main World, the other Transcendent Academies would not join forces to break through the Witch blockade just to force-kill a single Little Witch in an inescapable situation.
And while the various academies used their own racial interests as bargaining chips in this gamble, a brand-new battle was beginning in the Witch Academy's Omni-Link Arena.
Even if it was just a challenge between students, it was equally fraught with undercurrents.
"Next, please welcome our two... heavyweight contestants! And what they will be engaging in is... an Unrestricted Match!"
As the host, stoking the enthusiasm of the audience, spoke words designed to stir the emotions—especially the phrase "Unrestricted Match"—many people in attendance were driven into a frenzy!
An Unrestricted Match was a special challenge mode in the arena, a type of competition that required the consent of both parties to proceed.
And what was an Unrestricted Match?
Just as the name implied, there were no restrictions!
Aside from the basic rules of engagement, there were no limits on the number of Mana Sources, no limits on the type, consumption, or quantity of spellbooks, and not even limits on alchemy items, auxiliary potions, or other special transcendent items!
Such a confrontation undoubtedly attracted a great deal of attention. It wasn't just about the lack of ethical boundaries—sneak attacks, plots, and even unexpected methods could be used, as long as both parties remained within the designated area, until one side surrendered or died.
This "rule of no rules" undoubtedly magnified everyone's methods to the extreme. Both sides of the duel would fight with everything they had without any reservations; this was what the audience loved to see.
Moreover, such battles were often full of drama and various reversals. They were also the events with the highest gambling stakes, receiving focused promotion and broadcasting from the arena.
In the last Unrestricted Match, Tan Han, as a lower-year student whom no one favored, had managed to grind a Teaching Assistant to death!
Before the outcome was decided, no one thought Tan Han would be the second "Yang Yuehan."
Even though Tan Han had once been an opponent of that legendary Teaching Assistant, her growth and the process of her becoming stronger remained within the bounds of everyone's understanding.
Everyone tacitly accepted that the Teaching Assistant named Yang Yuehan was an outlier beyond their cognition and an insurmountable existence.
Even this genius Tan Han, who had entered the school carrying immense hype and popularity, could not surpass her.
But... in the end, in that challenge against a Teaching Assistant initiated by Tan Han herself, she had won!
The result exceeded everyone's expectations.
However, after learning the details of the battle, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Tan Han was still within their realm of understanding; what had exceeded their expectations was merely the magic wand in Tan Han's hand, known as the "Staff of Absolute Cold."
Thus, Tan Han was forcibly labeled with the title "Staff of Absolute Cold" by everyone. It was a powerful wand that everyone believed was enough to rival the combat power of a Teaching Assistant just by holding it!
Tan Han?
She was merely a supporting character.
Though everyone thought so, the Staff of Absolute Cold was in Tan Han's hands, making her an existence no one dared to provoke at this moment.
The reason Tan Han had to participate in an Unrestricted Match was due to the unique nature of her wand.
Any kind of restricted match designed to maintain balance between two parties was unsuitable for a weapon that broke that balance.
And without using this method, Tan Han had no way to deal with opponents who were far stronger than her.
It wasn't just the previous Teaching Assistant; the senior sisters who had provoked her before all possessed Over-consumption Spellbooks.
Yes, Over-consumption Spellbooks.
Once those things appeared, Tan Han knew very well that the nature of many things had changed.
Xiao You had mentioned more than once that she wanted to return the Ancient Remnant Ice, but she had been refused.
Tan Han was well aware that while Over-consumption Spellbooks were rumored to be extremely rare, the level of the opponents she faced... was already different.
At the very least, through the repeated provocations she had faced, Tan Han had let them know that without an Over-consumption Spellbook, one had no right to cross blades with her.
"Next, please welcome our first contestant, the one who, as a first-year... oh no, today is the first day of freshman enrollment! So let us once again give a thunderous cheer for this warrior who dares to challenge a Witch Academy Teaching Assistant as a second-year! Her codename is... Staff of Absolute Cold!"
Following the host's slight slip of the tongue, the entire venue once again erupted in passionate cheers.
The spectators didn't care if this girl was a weakling who only relied on a single weapon to show off; they only recognized the legendary girl who had turned the impossible into reality, defeating a Teaching Assistant single-handedly in an Unrestricted Match!
They used their most intense cheers, shouting toward the arena stage, hoping the person on stage would show them a "performance" worth the price of admission.
While the crowd cheered, a spatial channel suddenly tore open on the most prominent viewing platform at the edge of the arena.
Without excessive flair and without attracting too much attention, four figures filed out from within.
"This... it's actually this viewing platform? Doesn't this platform require..."
"Oh my~ Shopkeeper, stop being so amazed. If Xiao Han's status isn't enough to come here, then I reckon this arena might as well close down." Before Xia Li could finish her exclamation, Ying Shiqian grabbed the shopkeeper and explained ahead of time.
"I suppose that's true..."
"Just sit anywhere. Now we just have to watch Tan Han's performance." I smiled and didn't say much else, acting as if I were in my own home as I invited them to sit.
Although I was the only one with a special status, I didn't think the arena management would quibble with me over such a small matter.
The Shopkeeper and Senior Sister Ying Shiqian weren't too formal, but Xiao You, standing to the side, looked a bit restless.
From my perspective, I could no longer be bothered to hold a grudge over what she had done, but from her perspective... my impression of her was not good. Even just thinking about the things she had done back then was enough to make her breathing a bit ragged.
"Shopkeeper, do you think... Tan Han will win?" After sitting down, I took the initiative to start a conversation.
However, my gaze remained fixed on the arena floor.
"She will win. Definitely. Tan Han's own strength is beyond doubt; her combat techniques, awareness, and instincts are all outstanding. What she lacks is a decisive means of victory, and the Staff of Absolute Cold compensates for that perfectly. Even an Over-consumption Spellbook cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the Staff of Absolute Cold. What that Teaching Assistant has is merely more seasoned experience than Tan Han. Even with an Over-consumption Spellbook, Tan Han has the ability to bridge that gap."
"You really have confidence in Tan Han, Shopkeeper~" I responded as usual.
Perhaps even the Shopkeeper hadn't noticed the uncertainty and worry in her own heart.
She was simply blindly piling all her hopes onto the Staff of Absolute Cold.
If the Shopkeeper truly had confidence in Tan Han, why would she need to add such a long, useless explanation afterward?
Rather than an explanation for me, it was more like a comfort she was telling herself.
But in this challenge, it was truly hard to say if Tan Han's victory was guaranteed.
Tan Han... had no trump cards.
That was her greatest weakness. In an "Unrestricted Match" given ample time for preparation, having no trump cards was only a hair's breadth away from an immediate surrender.
Furthermore, Tan Han knew nothing about her opponent.
Until she stepped onto the stage, all the information she had obtained came from the Ley Line Identification Art of the Great Knowledge Seed.
And I had also synchronized with the information Tan Han had obtained about her opponent.
The opponent was also a Teaching Assistant, someone I didn't really know.
After all, the Teaching Assistants I knew either didn't get involved in this matter or had already been expelled from the Academy after that final joint exam hunt.
After I took a more detailed look at this Teaching Assistant, I suddenly understood why she had come to challenge Tan Han.
This person... had been at the Witch Academy for ten years.
If she were still a student, she would have attended the graduation ceremony before the break, and in the end, she would have had to choose between leaving the school or staying on.
But she was a Teaching Assistant without a student record. She had reached the limit of this status and had exhausted the patience of the mentor she followed.
Perhaps after this match, it wouldn't matter whether she won or lost. This also meant that regardless of the outcome, she had no worries about the future; she was already at rock bottom.
And she planned to use this moment to exert her last bit of light and heat, contributing one final effort for her Family.