Chapter 303
Chapter 303
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 303
Chapter Title: Academy Team Competition -0
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At the year-end academy, to showcase their educational achievements to the outside world and boost employment opportunities for students, they had long held traditional one-on-one duels against professors on a grand stage.
But such an antiquated approach lacked sufficient flair. It was getting stale. Duels last year, duels the year before—how long were they going to keep proving their worth through individual battles alone?
It would be nice to have chances to display more diverse, multifaceted abilities.
In that spirit, a mad wizard stepped in, and this year, the 『Academy Team Competition』 came to be.
So, what sort of structure did this team competition take?
It was structured like an amusement park ride. Participants roam freely through the academy grounds, selecting and tackling stages that play to their strengths. Each stage awards different points, and the team with the highest total score emerges victorious.
To make that happen, they first needed stages.
The mad wizard ascended the podium and addressed the cluster of professors.
"Alright, professors, please each whip up a stage for the students. Ah, you there with your hand up. Speak."
"I'm Suzy, professor of Herbology for the 『Eat It Without Knowing and Die』 course. So... we just give them a test?"
"The format doesn't matter. Test if they've learned what you taught them well and make them shine. For Herbology, I've got an idea. Mix in some real poison mushrooms and have them pick and eat."
"Pardon?"
The mad wizard's example seemed to spark their creativity. Yes, he had entertainment in mind.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Professors began chatting animatedly with their acquaintances. The reaction was largely positive. After all, in the old days, they'd just brushed it off with one-on-one duels.
"Alejandro, what trial are you cooking up?"
"Thinking of a firepower test... but you, Alexon, are picking duels again, right?"
"You know me well. In the end, the academy exists to build combat prowess. We have to clash head-on and show our strength!"
The two corrupt professors, Alejandro and Alexon, had been hogging the spotlight.
Professors teaching non-combat subjects buzzed with excitement at the chance to finally flex. Unless you were top-tier, professors scraped by on fame and fortune just like anyone else.
If their name spread far and wide through this, they could quit the academy and live comfortably.
Then, someone shot their hand up high.
"Knight, speak."
"I'm Lancelot from the 『The Sword King Conquers All Diseases』 course. So how are these 『points』 determined? If they're all equal, does that mean my trial gets the same as some Herbology one?"
"On that note... they're naturally not equal. I'll assign points to each trial based on fair judgment."
As Alexon said, the academy was a combat personnel training facility.
It made more sense for a clueless but ridiculously strong adventurer to climb higher than some extra who'd buried themselves in Herbology. Non-combat stages would get low points.
One by one, stage proposals were drafted. The mad wizard assigned points, compiled the list, and made it public. Aisha handled writing the names.
"This can't be right!"
"Why is my stage worth so few points?! And what the hell is that one?!"
"Corrupts, step down! Demand equal point distribution!"
And chaos erupted.
『Mad Wizard's Great Labyrinth』: 150 points
『Alexon & Alejandro's Glory of Battle』: 100 points
『Lancelot's Slicing an Apple into Multiple Pieces』: 5 points
⋯⋯(omitted)⋯⋯.
『Suzy's Which One's the Poison Mushroom』: 1 point
The three corrupt professors' stages had devoured points like bonus questions on a field trip.
Skip those, and winning was impossible. So much for diverse stages—it was no different from "just do ours."
The mad wizard responded plainly.
"Anyone unhappy, fight, win, and take the points."
"Pardon?"
"Mini event: Point Seizure Battles begin. Rules: Once a day, challenge another professor to a one-on-one. Loser or forfeiter hands over their points. But nothing drops below 1."
"???"
"Go wild on each other."
A stunned silence fell—what had they just heard?—before a sinister atmosphere began to brew. From an outsider's view, a professor with a high-point stage would look all the more competent.
Clashes broke out immediately. Combat professors drew their weapons; non-combat ones flipped open books.
"I've never liked you, Solani of 『Easily Beating Swords with Spears』! Draw your spear!"
"Hmph, I've been meaning to put you in your place. Take my spear with that short-reach, no-advantage longsword, Lancelot──!!"
About a week of "traffic sorting" followed.
『Mad Wizard's Great Labyrinth』: 179 points
『Alexon & Alejandro's Glory of Battle』: 113 points
『Suzy's Which One's the Poison Mushroom』: 7 points
⋯⋯(omitted)⋯⋯.
『Lancelot's Slicing an Apple into Multiple Pieces』: 1 point
These were the final confirmed results.
What was the 『Mad Wizard's Great Labyrinth』?
Just a dungeon pieced together from idle thoughts. Tentacles, lethal traps, closing walls, gimmick puzzles, boss fights... Built hot and heavy on Selbier's trial theory.
Aisha peeked inside and asked flatly.
"Planning to kill the students?"
"No way. Obviously made it death-proof with safeguards. You know the traditional setup? Hand out artifacts; teleport them out when the shield breaks. For that, I used Illusion Magic──"
"No, planning to kill them mentally? Artifacts block physical damage, not trauma."
"Stayed within what the kids have experienced. Just cranked the difficulty a smidge. They'll handle it."
And the 『Alexon & Al-whatever's⋯⋯』
"Read it on cue?"
"⋯⋯Don't use me to sort your thoughts."
"Okay, one, two."
『Alexon & Alejandro's Glory of Battle』 was practically the three corrupts' collab. I'd spooned in some design too—the attraction I was most hyped for.
The setup split into Alexon's 『Crown』 scramble and Alejandro's 『Glorious Mansion』 defense.
PK Zone A hides the 『Crown』.
PK Zone B holds Alejandro's 『Glorious Mansion』.
Players must have one teammate snag the 『Crown』, wear it on their head, and hold out inside the 『Glorious Mansion』 for one hour to claim full points.
'Death' in a PK zone forces ejection from this attraction—no retries. One shot only.
Guild war vibes with gimmicks sprinkled in.
With such massive points on the line, any team gunning for the 『Academy Team Competition』 win has to prioritize this over everything. The victor will likely be decided here.
Or.
Bravely storm the 『Mad Wizard's Great Labyrinth』 for a guaranteed top spot!
"Just imagining it makes my mouth water. Aisha, report on the teams so far."
"Don't you have eyes? Hands? A mouth?"
"Got 'em all, plus a cute, pretty daughter to boot."
"Ugh, gross⋯⋯."
Aisha shuddered like she'd broken out in goosebumps, rustling through the papers. She grumbled but gave a proper report.
"Bennett's party sits out. Planning a casual tour instead."
"Top contender down."
"Pure White Princess has a tight 10-man team, Luna included. The unselected followers are wailing and hitting the grind."
"Oho."
For team stability, Pure White Princess's squad felt sturdiest. No standout OP cards, but solid mid-to-upper tiers across the board.
"Snow White and Selbier go solo. You heard?"
"Rivalry setup that's got me hooked. Gordius?"
"Gordius... I reckon they're the top pick."
"High praise. But no dragon, just some session spec-ups—not winner material, though?"
I tilted my head at Aisha's unexpected frontrunner call. She dragged her finger down the roster. It flew past one full page and halfway more.
"Gordius's team: 50 members. Adventurers included."
"⋯⋯Didn't we say 10-man units?"
"Made 10-man units and poached the other four teams. 'If the dragon kids hog the win, us non-dragons team up and shake things up,' they pitched. Rule bend? Penalty?"
"Nah, perfect balance patch. Gordius's faction isn't that cohesive anyway... gaps for exploits."
Thrilling dynamics.
Pure White Princess and Gordius as faction powerhouses.
Snow White and Selbier as solo stars.
Which of these four squads claims victory⋯⋯!
I popped some popcorn from the armchair, settling in. Aisha swiped magic circles through the air, projecting onto the blank wall like a beam projector.
This was the part I'd poured the most into for the 『Academy Team Competition』: live feeds via hundreds of familiar-cams.
Entertainment value, sure—but also for safeguarding students in emergencies.
The footage, lightly edited, streams to academy VIPs too. Time to flex some director chops.
Prep complete. Everyone awaits the starting gun.
Hoo. Blow into the mic, soundcheck, then declare.
"The three-day 『Academy Team Competition』—begins now!"
Bang!
Firework graphics lit the sky.
Students on-screen sprang into action.
The Pure White Princess's team, 『Pure White Knights』, had a plan. Stage outlines and points were public beforehand, so strategy was set.
Pure White Princess placed a gentle hand on her ample bosom and said,
"Our target is 『Alexon & Alejandro's Glory of Battle』. More precisely, the 『Crown』 first."
"Yup. Smart."
Luna flashed double thumbs-up.
Endure one hour in the 『Glorious Mansion』 wearing the 『Crown』—the mansion's fixed, but the crown's mobile.
Snag it first, and you dictate the when and how of the fight.
As all nodded, a follower piped up.
"Princess, what about the 『Mad Wizard's Great Labyrinth』?"
"──How dare you question the Princess's judgment?!"
"Unforgivable! Step outside right now⋯⋯"
Loyalty weighs heavy. Pure White Princess quelled the overzealous with a gesture.
"Sigh... enough, everyone. Good catch. Here's my decree: the Pure White Knights will completely—totally—skip the 『Mad Wizard's Great Labyrinth』."
"Wise command!"
"⋯⋯Here's why. Facilities predate the start, right? Luna sneaked a peek."
"Yup. Did."
Tower of Trials ace. Infinite lives? She'd clear faster than anyone—Luna Steri, the vet.
Recalling her curtain-peek into the 『Mad Wizard's Great Labyrinth』, her blank face went vampire-pale.
"⋯⋯Don't go."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
All bought it. Even if luck tanked and they scored zero—even scraping points from Herbology quizzes.
Even if clearing locked in first place, never set foot in that Great Labyrinth.
"We'll search methodically from the top. Crown's hidden in Zone A—let's move and hunt."
"We'll find it or die trying! Absolutely!"
"Even if it's stashed in the 『Mad Wizard's Great Labyrinth』, we'll get it!!"
"⋯⋯Take it easy. Please."
The Pure White Knights' horde arrived to witness.
"──You said you weren't competing! Weren't competing!"
"Circumstances changed. My little sis... came to watch. Crown's here. Scratch me even once, it's yours. Then I really sit out."
Booing students—and Bennett striking a cool, stern pose with his 『Ho-won』.
Verdi Hilton's offhand "wanna see bro look cool" had stormed back through the academy.
"⋯⋯Princess, now what?"
"⋯⋯Plan B: Occupy the 『Glorious Mansion』. No solo overpowering Bennett, and all 10 piling on might scratch him... but one dropout guts our strength."
So, hope another team swipes the 『Crown』.
"Good."
The Pure White Knights veered toward the 『Glorious Mansion』.