Chapter 427
Freshmen Showdown
Chapter 427 Freshmen Showdown
A round of applause rang out in the auditorium, and then the opening ceremony came to a close.
As noon approached, the students, guided by their teachers, headed to a nearby restaurant where the college had prepared a special meal for the new students.
Upon arriving at this spacious restaurant, Hilti discovered that the space inside was no smaller than the auditorium she had just left. There were two large long tables, each seating 20 people, for a total of 80 students.
"Hedera, classmate." The girl heard someone call her name.
A professor dressed in a black cloak and robe approached. She had long, wavy hair that was almost black with a dark red hue, and her eyes held a mixture of interest and curiosity towards the young woman.
“Come and sit at the very top of this long table, in the middle,” she said, pointing to that somewhat unusual spot.
"Me?" Hilti walked over slowly, feeling a little flattered by the position.
“That’s right.” The other person nodded.
At the head of each of the two long tables was a rather special spot. Hilti had assumed that this spot was reserved for professors or teachers, but it now seemed that was not the case.
When she arrived at this spot, she saw another black-haired freshman at another long table on the side. He looked to be about 19 years old, handsome, with a straight posture, and a light blue gentian flower pinned to his cuff.
“That student is Spencer Pende, from the prestigious Pende family of the Von Lund district, whose coat of arms is the 'gentian',” the professor introduced to Silti.
"From now on, the two of you will be the co-chiefs of this year's students. You will be responsible for arranging and managing many activities. You will be both collaborators and competitors until you graduate in five years."
"Alright, please take your seats now."
Upon hearing this, Hiltiya sat down at the table. Then, the professor beside her clapped his hands, and two wide shield-shaped flags fell from the sky. One flag was printed with pale blue gentians against a background of frost-white, while the other flag was printed with black roses against a background of sunset-red.
The two large flags were hung behind Silutia and Spencer Pande, not far away.
"Let's begin the meal now. Please feel free to choose your seats. From now on, you will be divided into two groups for scoring and activities. Choose your favorite chief student. They are the best students in this cohort and will be your future leaders."
"Of course, if you feel you are better suited for that position, you can take on the challenge a year later."
Each long table has 40 seats. In addition to the two people, there are 74 students present. This means that one side has a maximum of 40 people and the other side has a minimum of 34 people, which keeps the difference in the number of people between the two sides from being too large.
Without hesitation, the other five students from the Asura district went to sit at Hilti's table, while many students also chose to sit at Spencer's table.
Because of his prestigious family background, Spencer was already well-known when he was studying in the Milne district. Most students from that district chose him without hesitation.
By the time the new students from the 'Gomoshu District' had made up their minds, the long table on Spencer's side was almost full, so they had to sit at the long table on Hilti's side.
After both parties were seated, the restaurant waiters brought out exquisite dishes and placed them on the long table. When the lids were opened, they released an enticing aroma and fragrance.
These meals are all rare delicacies of the third tier, not only delicious, but also very beneficial to the students present.
'Wolf Blood Stewed Rabbit' features sweet white rabbit meat stewed with bright red wolf blood that exudes the aura of 'blazing sun'. The essence of the blood is skillfully infused into the rabbit meat through the chef's technique, filtering out the volatile parts and making it more absorbable and gentle.
'Wind Sawdust Bread' is made by mixing birch sawdust, which has the aura of 'the sky,' into flour and baking it. The sawdust burns during baking, and the expanding aroma makes the bread soft, while also locking in the tiny air bubbles with the 'sky' quality inside.
'Firefly Mead' is made from firefly eggs and premium honey, possessing the characteristics of fireflies. The amber-colored liquid emits a faint glow like fireflies at night, which is very beautiful.
'Purple Ginseng Milk Jelly' is made from purple ginseng powder and agar, and is refreshing and delicious, with the aroma of 'jade honey'.
If the ingredients were raw and unprocessed, eating such a mixed combination of properties would likely cause immediate harm. Fortunately, the role of a chef is to transform those difficult-to-eat and indigestible ingredients into something edible.
Ordinary chefs prepare cooked food by removing harmful toxins, while extraordinary chefs harmonize the inherent properties of the food, making it absorbable and gentle.
Savoring this rare delicacy, the students focused on their meal and even chatted less. After all, not every student comes from a wealthy family and can easily enjoy similar food.
Hiltiya looked at the small bowl of 'Wolf Blood Stewed Rabbit' that the waiter had brought her. She took a small sip of the wolf blood with a spoon. It no longer had a fishy smell, but had a faint osmanthus fragrance. Then she took a bite of the tender rabbit meat and slowly savored it.
That's really impressive. She was curious about how the chef did it and wondered if she should learn more about cooking skills in the future.
As she ate the food from the small bowl, the waiter cut her slices of 'sawdust bread' and placed them on a plate, along with small pieces of 'purple jelly' from the dish, making the texture even better.
The nutrients from the wolf blood and rabbit meat entered her body, and a slight warming sensation spread, making Hilti feel that her blood flow was faster and smoother. If she had cardiovascular disease, this meal would probably help to resolve it and enhance the vitality of her heart and the strength of her blood vessels.
The subsequent scent of 'wind sawdust bread' filled her lungs, making her feel that even the air she was breathing was fresher. In this state, she could probably unleash faster speeds in battle, and her mind would be more active.
The final 'Purple Nut Milk Jelly' is gentler, nourishing the subtle parts of the body and enhancing one's constitution.
An hour later, the students finished their meal, and there was hardly anything left on the table. Many students then began to chat and get to know their classmates.
"This is the first time I've met our chief. You're from the Asura District, could you tell me about him?"
"Well, it's roughly like this..." The student from the Asura District began to recount Hilti's 'glorious deeds,' including but not limited to treating orcs with brutal and cruel methods, defeating various genius challengers of the same year, never being defeated, ruling the underworld of the Asura District, purging opposing forces, and driving out leaders such as the Spider Woman from the country.
"So she's such a terrifying and powerful person, I understand now." Suddenly, the students at the table felt a renewed sense of expectation for this seemingly frail girl.
Such a person is indeed not good on the enemy's side, but it may not be a bad thing on their own side. Most people still respect the strong, because victory is far more important than kindness.
After lunch, the professor led the students to the academy's combat training grounds.
"You have plenty of time today, and the college supports you in holding a freshman competition to determine your level among your peers, so that you can improve in the future."
Upon hearing this, Hilti glanced at the professor opposite her, pondering the purpose of such a competition.
The idea is probably to help students who are not yet familiar with each other quickly get to know each other, and to avoid misunderstandings caused by misjudging each other's abilities.
"The first five rounds will be drawn by lot, and each person will play five matches. The academy will give different rewards based on the number of times you win."
"Students who win four or more games will advance to the next stage and participate in an elimination tournament until the final winner is determined."
"In the second stage of the competition, the top eight will each receive a prize. I hope you will participate and persevere as much as possible." After saying this, the professor waved her hand, and an automatic ball-selecting machine rose from below the steps, with many numbered balls rolling inside. "Now, line up in four rows and determine your number based on your position," she announced again.
Soon, everyone was in position, and then she started the machine. The connecting rods inside rotated continuously, causing the small ball to roll.
Then, one by one, the small balls were released, and she began calling out the numbers on them so that her assistant could write them down.
"Number 12, Hedra, versus number 58, Muria."
Hilti quickly heard her own name called, and then she noticed that Spencer Pende, who was not far away, was also called out with his number.
"Spencer Pandey, number 3, versus Vinicius, number 31."
The battlefield is divided into four blocks that run simultaneously, and each match usually lasts about 2-4 minutes, rarely dragging on for more than 5 minutes.
Hilti and her classmates sat in the audience on one side, surrounded by many students from their group. Opposite them was Spencer in the audience, also surrounded by students. Occasionally, Hilti could hear them mention her name.
Since there were no students from the Asura district in the opposite group, their discussions were mostly based on speculation.
"Where did that guy named Hedra come from? We've never heard of him before. Is he a descendant of some important person? The school is paying so much attention to him." They were somewhat puzzled.
"Perhaps he's a promising genius?" one student guessed.
"Nonsense, everyone here is a genius. I've always been in the top five in the Milne district, and I've dealt with geniuses countless times."
"Although some people are very talented, no matter how talented they are, they are only second-level apprentices. What profound discoveries and insights can they make at this stage? No matter how strong their combat strength is, they are only on par with third-level mages. How could she possibly defeat an opponent two levels higher?" The student shook his head.
"Forget it, we'll find out soon enough. I think if she's not strong enough to support the top spot, there will be many people challenging her this year, not even next year."
Not long after the battles of the previous few people ended, it was Spencer's turn to fight. He was facing Vinicius, who came from the 'Gammosh District' and happened to be a member of Hilti's group.
The students of the 'Gammosh District' all know a thing or two about mechanics, and Vinicco, who was appearing this time, was no exception. He took out a small, golden musket and walked onto the stage.
"The competition begins!"
After the teacher made the announcement, Vinicius immediately aimed his musket at Spencer opposite him. Then, the maze-like patterns on the musket glowed, and the bullet was fired, rushing towards his opponent like a brilliant red line.
Spencer stood calmly, raised his hand, and phantom-like walls and gates appeared beside him, easily deflecting the bullet.
[Spell: Rhodri's Gate]
One of the seven city gates forged by the Swan King, also known as the King's Gate, it represents the majesty of the monarch.
Many students were surprised to see the sturdy doors and walls that appeared on the stage, because the power of this spell far exceeded that of a second-tier spell. Even a third-tier formal mage could not achieve such a level.
Blocked by the sturdy, illusory walls, Vinicius tried various methods to attack, but to no avail. In the end, he had no choice but to admit defeat. Spencer, quite graciously, canceled the spell and then simply praised Vinicius a few times.
After receiving a round of applause, Spencer stepped down from the stage, and the other students then took their turn to compete.
A few minutes later, Hilti heard her own name called.
She stepped down from the audience and, under the watchful eyes of many, walked towards the battlefield, where she saw her opponent.
Number 58, Muria, is from the Forbner district and previously studied in the Milne district. He is skilled in high-speed swordsmanship and is a rare melee mage.
The boy, who looked to be in his early 18s, with flamboyant short blond hair, walked into the arena unhurriedly, holding a sword sheath in one hand. He then placed his right hand on the hilt of the sword and looked solemnly at Hilti.
"Hello, Your Excellency." He greeted him simply.
"It's not that I intended to be so rude as to brandish swords on our first meeting, but since this is a competition, please demonstrate your skills to earn my sincere respect." He was very polite and seemed to possess the air of a classical aristocrat.
“I understand your expectations.” Hilti nodded slightly, then stopped.
After waiting for three seconds, seeing that Hiltiya still did not make any further moves, Muria launched an attack. A brilliant white light shone in his eyes, and then air currents swirled around his body.
【The School of Royalism: Swan Walk】
Muria's sprinting pace quickened, moving in an arc across the arena, making it difficult for his opponents to lock onto him as he closed in. A faint chill emanated from the tip of the sword hilt he held.
The rare 'castle' type mage intrigued Hilti, but just as Muria was about to approach her, a large, rough hand appeared out of thin air and slapped him with tremendous force.
Faced with the suddenly appearing 'palm', Muria's eyes flashed with a pale white light, and then his sword was instantly drawn, a cold silver crack appearing on the palm, cleaving it in two.
【The School of Royal Power: Silver Blade】
After breaking through the giant hand, Muria approached Hilti again, but this time he noticed that several white birds had appeared beside Hilti, circling around her.
Then the birds suddenly shot out. He moved swiftly, his sword constantly slashing and cutting the birds apart, while carefully avoiding the silk threads attached to their backs.
That's amazing! Few of Hilti's peers in the Asura region can match her reaction speed.
Then she waved her hand again, and six silver flying swords flew out from behind her at high speed, rushing towards Muria.
In this exchange, despite Muria’s repeated attempts to deflect and break the flying swords, he was unable to sever or shatter them. After several attempts, he was slightly careless, and two flying swords pierced his legs, rendering him unable to fight.
"Hedra wins."
A cheer erupted from the crowd, and the students present gained a preliminary understanding of Siltia's strength.
"So this is his style? Looks like he's just a barbaric guy who's good at fighting. The professors probably chose someone like this as the chief to hone my skills." Spencer shook his head slightly.
(End of this chapter)