Chapter 216: Chapter 216
The first day of the festival.
Lake and Kate had just exited the transfer station, blending into the steady stream of visitors leaving the station.
Lake commented as he carefully observed the crowd around him. Just from a quick head count with his sixth sense, he could count tens of thousands of people within its limited range.
Various stalls and decorations dotted the pathways, breathing life into the otherwise serene academy’s atmosphere.
"We should get going. We’re scheduled to go on stage at ten."
Kate moved closer to his ear to speak, trying to make her voice heard in the otherwise chaotic noise.
Lake nodded, a smirk already forming on his face.
Despite his agreement, he showed no haste or intent to change his casual pace.
Kate stared at him slightly confused, but didn’t try to hurry him. It was barely nine, and with their speed, they could reach the stadium in a minute if they really tried.
Instead, she matched his pace, getting slightly absorbed in the festive atmosphere beside Lake.
Lake led Kate around, visiting various stalls; tasting the dishes and trying out the minigames.
Throughout the walk, Kate couldn’t help but feel a little put off by Lake’s casual attitude.
Since when was he one to waste time on something ?
Despite her inner thoughts however, she silently stayed by his side, deciding to just go with the flow.
By the time they arrived at the stadium, it was only a few minutes before they had to go on stage.
"You can go on ahead. I’ll meet up with you soon."
Lake’s words made Kate frown.
"...What are you up to?"
Lake smirked slightly, "What do you mean?"
His smirk only caused her frown to deepen but before she could retort, he cut her off.
"You should hurry up. You don’t want to be late, do you?"
His words caused annoyance to flash across Kate’s face, but she didn’t hesitate to turn around, already walking away.
Lake watched her go, the smirk on his face growing deeper.
"Sorry, but this is your test, not mine..."
Muttering those cryptic words, Lake’s figure that was standing still vanished with a gust of wind.
The Royal Stadium had been completely filled out, the loud murmuring of tens of thousands of people livening up the atmosphere.
Confetti shot into the sky and instrumental music played in the background, elevating the liveliness of the event to another level.
Evelyn and Leah sat in their seats, absorbing themselves in the atmosphere.
Leah’s scream pierced Evelyn’s ears, but instead of complaining, she smiled at her best friend’s excitement.
"Haha, I’ve never seen you this excited before."
"Of course I am! This event is literally the most looked forward to event in the martial arts community!"
Leah turned on her chair, pressing her face closer to Evelyn, her eyes wide and her doll-like features shaped into the most radiant smile.
"It’s the chance to see the future generation of hunters in action!"
Evelyn replied with a chuckle. Just seeing her best friend in such a state made this entire trip worth it.
"Ahhh! There they are!"
Just then, Leah noticed from the corner of her eye that students had begun to march out from the tunnels in an orderly fashion.
Some of the students waved to the crowd, inciting a resounding response.
The whole stadium erupted in cheers, some parents cheering for family, others taken in by the atmosphere, and for a select few, it was the feeling of seeing the future heroes of the world.
The students marched until they arrived at the center of the stage, roughly a hundred of them lined up.
Just then, flying in on a hovering platform was a man dressed in a bizarre purple suit with polka dot patterns of green and yellow. His hair was slicked back with a single strand dyed red and star-framed sunglasses on his face.
"Greetings ladies and gentlemen! My name is Sheldon and today I’ll be your host for this year’s Dragon and Phoenix festival!"
The bizarrely dressed man introduced himself, his voice booming through the stadium’s sound system.
The noise level notably dropped as everyone paid full attention to the announcer, who had a giant holographic projection of his upper half towering behind him.
"First, let us welcome our amazing cast of participants for the first round of the tournament!"
Sheldon snapped his fingers causing smaller holographic projections of the students to appear around the stadium, giving each member of the audience a clear view of the contestants.
"You may already know these students from several videos floating about online. Of their legendary feats that surpassed any prior generation of martial artists..."
He started mysteriously as several key figures among the contestants flashed across the holographic display.
Some of the audience instantly recognized them, anticipation building.
These students, having been caught up in a massive beast horde that threatened to destroy an established stronghold, held their ground in a gruesome battle. Despite the horde being led by a Rank Three creature, these students fought tooth and nail to do more than survive, but to win--!"
At that point, almost everyone had realized who this group of students were, and as if to confirm their thoughts, the announcer wasted no time.
"It’s this year’s batch of freshman students!"
Confetti exploded across the stadium as the music returned with a loud triumph.
The crowd cheered loudly in excitement, but one figure among them stayed unusually still.
Her eyes naturally darted across the holographic figures of the first years, subconsciously looking for that familiar face.
Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief but felt puzzled the more she thought about it.
She was no stranger to the various exploits and titles he had achieved since they last met.
The First Mage, Surpasser, Monstrous Genius.
These titles only highlighted the surface of his fame in the online community, which made it all the more strange that he wasn’t present for this grand event...
It wasn’t just Evelyn who felt his absence, but also the various scouts of the guild that had come to this event with the goal of seeing the mythical first year up close.
The announcer however did not seem to care about everyone’s confusion, continuing with his introduction.
"Following traditional rules, the festival will be split into three parts and held over the next three days. Each day will be a different test for a different grade. Today, everyone has the pleasure of seeing our Academy’s very best first years take the stage!"
Sheldon’s explanation left everyone paying close attention.
Even the students below looked up with focus. They had not heard anything about the contents of the test or the tournament, so every piece of information Sheldon provided would prove crucial if they hoped to succeed.
"Before we continue, I would like to give a shout out to our Academy’s amazing batch of instructors! These events were especially designed by the most talented instructors to test and showcase each grade’s full potential and more!"
The crowd nodded in appreciation, some even giving applause, but the students standing in the field felt entirely different emotions.
The moment the announcer’s words left his mouth, every student in the field, and even those in the stadium had the same thought.
Just what kind of hell did those demons design for them this time...
Sheldon fluttered his suit’s tail end as his arms stretched wide.
"Without further ado, let’s get this first event underway!"
With another snap of his fingers, the students that had been dreading the upcoming exams vanished from the field, teleported to somewhere else.
The stadium instantly darkened, a thin barrier of mana rising to block out the sun, leaving only the faint glow of the holographic field below to brighten the inside.
Everyone’s reaction was the same upon seeing the massive holographic field materializing before them.
A massive forest revealed itself, with two clearly distinguishable traits.
One was the various mountains and ravines spanning the area, making the forest a treacherous environment. The other, was the massive castle looming over the dark environment.
In the darkness of the stadium, illuminated only by the light of the field, the announcer’s voice played like a melody.
"...Long ago there was an ancient demon who ruled over monsters."
"He led an army of monsters to raid the human world, killing and conquering the lands."
Various images emerged on the screen, showcasing a massive army of monsters attacking human cities and wreaking havoc upon the world.
"In a last ditch effort, humanity used all their resources and power to seal the demon and his castle away in a rift, along with the rest of his monster army."
At this point, the scene of the castle reappeared, zoomed in to see the various monsters walking the walls and roaming the perimeter.
Ghouls, goblins, ogres, beasts and abominations infested the area, their eyes red with madness and maws roaring at the sky.
In the sky, a faint crack existed, as if the world itself was being torn apart.
"It has been many years, and the seal has weakened since that fateful battle. Now, the Demon King shows signs of invading the human world once more!"
The audience was enthralled by the announcer’s magnetic voice, finally seeing sight of the students who had appeared on the outer perimeter of the Demon King’s territory.
"In order to stop the Demon King’s comeback, humanity has assembled an elite task force. One task to raid the Demon King’s castle before he is released and defeat him!"
"Oooohh!" The crowd’s excitement grew as they watched the students get accustomed to their environments.
With a buzz, holographic interfaces appeared before each chair, allowing audience members to control their own perspective of the field. Some chose to spectate certain students, others just watched from a third person’s perspective.
"In order to ensure the success of the raid, humanity sent in an advance squad to clear the way to the castle!"
The announcer’s voice rose as each student’s wristwatch vibrated, a message popping up detailing their instructions.
"That advance squad, is this batch of first year students!"